MY FIRST DRAFT WRITE UP OF VAMPIRE CLAN IDEAS. BIOS ARE MEANT TO BE WRITTEN FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NPC'S (BECAUSE IT'S FUNNER)

(Note: the reason why I kept the skills at 6 is because vanilla vamp clans do so, we don't need to adhere to it if we don't want to - I don't really have any strong feelings on it - but I figured I'd do it for this draft just in case)

Bio: No Clan is more elusive, yet as infamous and dominant as the Volkihar Clan. Their bloodline has been said to have been the progenitors of two dozen living Vampire Clans across the mainland of Tamriel alone, and eighteen Clans of extinct or unknown statuses across the whole of Nirn. The supposed origins of Clan Volkihar vary greatly from Nord to Nord, and they seem to become more outlandishly fantastical with each passing iteration, I won't be going over them here.

From the very few first hand accounts available, It's said that these vampires are as cold and hideous on the outside as they are in their hearts, looking more akin to demons and draugr than man. If it weren't for their horrifying visage, their aquatic abilities would be enough to make a sailor jealous. Combined with a supernatural resistance to frost (even more so than a Hearty Nord's natural immunity) their ability to move swiftly through the icy waters with little care to taking breath strokes make their favored environments the rivers and lakes of north-eastern Skyrim. In fact, it wasn't until recently that the eastern Sea of Ghosts shores had gotten rid of the menace that is Volkihar. 'Tis a tale best told elsewhere, but one that was no less bloody than the fiends that took part in it.

While not haunting quite as much territory as they used to, do not make the mistake of assuming they are weak or endangered. They still claim many sailors, pirates, and beserkers yearly, and are still effective child scaring monsters for the parents of Kynholm, Danstrar, and Winterhold (even though the most recent evidence we have of their whereabouts only place them in Eastmarch). Their Lair, logically so, is believed to be somewhere under the lakes of Eastmarch, where attacks are most common, and Jarla Kirste of Kynholm, daughter of the former Jarl Asgan, has offered a hefty sum for the head of any of those vile creatures.

Bio: A Nordic clan of Vampires led by the Ancient Kairid Svolfal. Kairid is said to have been a colleague of Shalidor's during the construction of the Labyrinthian. Kairid was a master enchanter, studying under the brightest of Dwemeri minds the Rourken Clan of Hammerfell had to offer. The last known date of his life was months before the Shalidor-Rourken War. Some say his time with the Dwemer had given him a deep distrust of Shalidor, these historians speculate that he was the one who crafted the mythical Spellbreaker. Other, more right-minded, Nordic scholars postulate that he had betrayed the Rourken Dwemeri, siding with his friend Shalidor, and had been studying the clan's magical methods to further his knowledge of the lesser known arts. Either way, it wasn't until the time of Thonica's Regency that Kairid resurfaced as a Vampire within the The Winter Hold where he began consorting with Mages and Sorcerers all over Skyrim. At the time, Kairid Svolfal was especially popular with the teachers of the College of Winterhold where he was often invited to give lectures to inspiring Enchanters.

Sometime during the early years of the Imperial Simulacrum, the Eternal Champion explored the Fortress of Ice, the everlasting frost castle of the Magelord Shalidor, in order to find a codex. The Fortress of Ice had been taken by Knights, some say under the orders of the Jarl of Dranstrar, others say they were rogue knights turned bandits, while others claim they were Daedra in disguise (of course there's a rumor for just about everybody of note during those years claiming they were Daedroth). Kairid's contacts within the Mages Guild , so when he got word of a potential siege of the Fortress, he gathered the most trusted of his clan to meet him near the entrance. According to the account from an anonymous source; they snuck in under after the Eternal Champion had left no more than an hour past, and slew the Knights who would dare put up a fight, and made cattle of those who behaved themselves.

Their goal, as I've had it spoken of to me, is to reverse engineer the enchantments of the Fortress, if they can learn why and how it never melts, they can find a way to rid themselves of the inherent downsides of vampirism. With such ambition requires a certain level of openness with any who would wish to help, of course with both the living and the other clans looking to gain dominance over them, steal their research, or simply exterminate them, they aren't able to be so accepting of non-Svolfal Vampires so don't expect a peaceful welcome from them if you step into their Fortress; unless you're invited of course.

Bio: A Redguard Clan of Vampires lead by the Ancient Elonasia Khulari. Before the Warp in the West, this clan dominated the Dragontail Mountains, and had a healthy relationship with Mannimarco & his Necromancers. After the Warp in the West, they found themselves displaced in Falkreath Hold, settling in (insert large dungeon in the southern Sundered Hills here). According to some captured clan members (from which we've gathered this information), Elonasia was warned of the coming "Dragon Bark" (their words, not mine. I believe they meant Dragon Break, though it was difficult to make out during interrogation) by an unknown source. My suspicions is this was the Mannimarco's doing, but I can not be certain of this.

To offset damages caused by the move from moving across provinces - both due to the Military Arms of the Temples, Meridian Crusaders, and border security, Khulari Clan has moved into the black markets of south-western Skyrim, particularly when it comes to smuggling. Jarls, Thanes, Knights, and more have been said to have indirect ties to them, of course these are nothing but poisonous lies made by disgruntled Redguards. Their rapid growth has, apparently, offended the Artharach Clan who were the original inhabitants of the Sundered Hills as sacred hunting ground ("sacred" is used for just about anything involving Reachmen, Vampirism or not. I suspect that Elonasia Khulari takes these claims and threats as seriously as I do). The Khulari have seemingly forced the Artharach out of the Sundered Hills and into the Ridgelands, to much of the dismay of both the Artharach and the citizens of Lainalten. To those who wish to become a Vampire, no clan in Skyrim is more negotiable than the Khulari.

Bio: A Reachmen Clan of Vampires. According to a source in Hal Norvold who's name I won't mention here for their sake, that this clan ruled the darkest dungeons of the Sundered Hills with their Reachmen acolytes in the aftermath of the War of Bend'r Mahk. However, in recent years the Khulari Clan of Vampires have migrated into Falkreath Hold, pushing the already declining numbers of the clan out into the Ridgelands. With many of their acolytes dead(er) or turned and scattered about; many of which were turned by the Khulari and thus have become rabid creatures torn between their shame for being forced into an unworthy bloodline and their need to survive.

However, I've heard stories from the Nords of Lainalten that the Artharach have found a new tribe of acolytes, Nordic ones this time. I wouldn't have believed it myself, Nords working along side vampiric Reachmen, if I had not seen the look of terror in the eyes of the warriors who've claimed to come across them. These tribalistic Nords see the Artharach as enlightened beings, much like with their original acolytes, they've also allowed a few of their Nordic tribesmen to receive their wicked curse. This I realize sounds preposterous, but that's what the brave souls who've faced them have told me. The way they're able to twist the minds of men to venerate them leads me to believe they have some sort of powerful Illusion magicks at work.

They have an innate ability to scale mountainous terrain with much more ease than an ordinary man, mer, or beast. Their ability to sense magick and animals is also quite impressive. If you are being hunted by the Artharach, then I would suggest you do what any true Nord would do. Don't run, you won't be able to defend yourself. Don't hide, they will find you out shortly. Turn around and die with an Axe or Halberd in your hands, and enter Sovngarde like a true Nord!

Bio: The Vuthyorn bloodline can be traced back to the First Empire, where Fort Bjolfen was first constructed by request of then current Empire, and its garrison put under the watch of General Sivrarik Vuthyorn during a particularly harsh winter where he had become infected with Vampirism. The most common version of the story, which can be occasionally heard in song form by the students of the Bard's College, can be summarized as this:

Sometime during that fateful winter, one of the soldiers allowed a poor, old Nordic witch a shelter from the raging blizzards of the mountain peaks. For their kindness, she offered them a great gift - the gift of eternal life. The soldiers had agreed believing themselves to be receiving some sort of Glamoril-like potion. Instead, the old witch sprung her trap, her gnarled fangs ripped through their necks, for she was a Vampire of the Volkihar bloodline, leaving them for dead before leaping out of the mountain fort, presumably to her next victim. Within the following week the fort was overrun with Vampires. When all in the Fort were turned, General Sivrarik killed his men for allowing this to happen, and killed the rest of his garrison for not being strong enough to kill a few simple vampires.

With a dead garrison and an insatiable hunger, Sivrarik Vuthyorn wandered Tamriel returning to Fort Bjolfen sometime during the late Interregnum after gathering eleven wives whose ferocity and thirst for battle match his own. His first wife, Jyte, was a Nord shield maiden who had impressed him after decapitating a great Frost Monarch with her favorite Wooded Buckler. The second was Leta, a Nibenese seer who could see the life leave her enemies eyes before her attackers drew their blades. The third was a Direnni sorceress named Andratha, a Necromancer. the fourth was Betia, a Beserkeress who was turned under Leta's recommendation. Suwennri, Orla, and Eloyra the Breton came next, they are the Fort-Wives, and it is their job to fill the new garrison, keep the Fort clean, and the soldiers in line.

The eighth, and ninth wives are his Hunting-Wives, Ane and Elle respectively. They are the wives whom stalk the villages and farms of The Rift and gather the cattle. The eleventh wife is his Storm-Wife, Ingina. She is a Thu'um user of terrible power, able to shroud the Fort in an impenetrable blizzard that no living man or mer has survived.

Last edited by Violet on Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:13 pm, edited 14 times in total.